New Delhi: In the midst of a contentious custody dispute with her estranged Indian husband, a Russian woman fled to Moscow with her child. The Supreme Court has stated that it is not inclined to issue any orders that could strain relations between India and Russia. Additionally, the court has expressed disbelief in the efforts made to track down the woman.
A bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi had heard the case on Friday.
The bench recognised that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Indian Embassy in Moscow, and the Russian Embassy in Delhi had a diplomatic difficulty in trying to resolve the matter. The bench emphasised that actions should be taken to return the child to the top court’s custody and that appropriate cooperation could provide a solution to the issue.
The Center’s Additional Solicitor General, Aishwarya Bhati, informed the court that the Delhi Police and MEA are working together. Through the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) link with Nepal, the bench was informed that attempts were underway to conduct additional investigations into other parties implicated, including Nepali residents.
The court said to Bhati, “We don’t want to issue an order that could damage India-Russia relations, but there is a child involved as well. As long as the child is with the mother, we can only hope that he is healthy. I hope human trafficking is not the situation.
The bench noted that the embassy had previously requested help and collaboration from the Prosecutor General’s office on the basis of mutuality and comity, as noted in a MEA report.
The bench observed that on October 17, 2025, new requests under the MLAT were sent to the Russian Prosecutor General’s office via the Indian consulate in Moscow.
The Russian mother and the child fled the country through Nepal and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, with the assistance of Russian embassy staff, the bench had remarked.
The bench observed that despite Delhi Police’s notifications to the Russian authorities for more information, there have been no noticeable outcomes.
The woman arrived in India on an X-1 visa, which later expired, and has been living there since 2019. However, the top court occasionally ordered the visa to be extended while the legal proceedings were still pending.
Bhati claimed that although she has personally spoken with representatives of the Russian embassy, no meaningful progress has been achieved.
The bench saw that information on the credit card holder was requested from a Russian bank office in the capital, but the bank invoked its banking secrecy laws.
The bench stated, “The ASG has assured us that the Ministry of External Affairs and the Delhi Police will receive the necessary instructions to take further action in terms of the discussions that have taken place during the course of the hearing.” The bench also requested that ASG Bhati submit a status report within two weeks.
The Supreme Court was notified by the federal government on July 21 that it is thought the Russian woman may have already returned home based on the email IP address login. On July 7, 2025, the woman was reported missing from her house in Delhi.
According to the child’s father, nobody knew where the mother and his child were.
According to the husband, his estranged wife was spotted sneaking inside the Russian consulate in Delhi. Before the Supreme Court, he argued that he was afraid the woman and kid had left India.
In addition to ordering the mother’s passport to be seized, the court had already instructed the MEA officers to speak with representatives of the Russian embassy to obtain authorisation to enter the home of the diplomat who was last seen with the Russian woman.
On May 22, the mother gained custody of the child after the father claimed that there was a custody agreement that stipulated the boy would spend three days a week with his mother. Before the Supreme Court, the father argued that he hadn’t seen the child since May.
The man was employed as an engineer for a software business in China when the pair first met. In 2017, they were married in India.
